Volume 3

Tamahome runs after Miaka, and Nuriko turns to see something going their way...

Miaka is struggling to be free, and she bites hand covering her mouth. Her "captor" is revealed to be a blue-haired guy. *sweatdrop* The blue-haired guy tells Miaka that someone is after her. Without further explanation, he disappears into his bamboo hat. Miaka picks the hat up, and wonders what just happened. Tamahome arrives in the scene, and they hear a scream. Miaka and Tama-kun run back to their companions, finding them all dead, except for Nuriko, almost pinned to a tree. Nuriko tells them that a split-second after Tama-kun ran off to Miaka, arrows pointing her way appeared. Miaka realizes "they" were after her, just as the she was told.

Later, Miaka tells them about the blue-haired guy's warning. Tama says she shouldn't worry because he's there. A man barges in telling Tamahome that there are suspicious men in the village. "Eh? More money, you say?" And so Tama-kun runs off. Miaka is upset again for Tama-kun's sudden change of attitude. Tama-kun will do anything as long as money is involved, right? But their companions tell them that Tama-kun isn't like that. All he asks in exchange for his survices are food, or little of the money that the townspeople willingly offer him.

The next morning, Miaka wakes up and wonders why Tama-kun loves money so much. Hearing a horse outside, she looks outside and sees Tamahome preparing to leave. She wakes Nuriko up and they follow Tamahome. They end up in the village where Tamahome apparently grew up in. Tamahome happily greets his brothers and sisters: Chuei, Gyokulan, Shinseng and Yuiren. Miaka admits that she has never seen him so happy. It turns out that Tamahome's father has been sick, and his family is very poor. Tamahome brings out the money he has made and gave it to his father. Touched by Tamahome's martyrdom as a son and brother, Miaka and Nuriko can't help but be teary-eyed outside. "YUIREN!" came Tamahome's voice from inside. Alarmed, Miaka barges in through the window, to everyone's surprise. Miaka checks Yuiren and declares that she has a fever. Knowing what to do, she assigns tasks to everyone able: Go get the medicine in my bag! We need blankets to cover her. We also need lots of water! Hurry!

After Yuiren has taken the medicine, everyone settled down a bit. Tamahome then demands to know Miaka's reason for following him. Embarrassed, Miaka puts on the bamboo hat saying that she'll disappear like the guy before. Amused, the kids ask their brother if Miaka is his wife. With a crimson color coloring their cheeks, Tamahome and Miaka deny it. Meanwhile, Nuriko tells Tama-kun's father that "they've gone all the way," with Tama-kun angrily yelling at Nuriko. Miaka notices that Tamahome was profusely blushing. Turning her attention back to Yuiren, Miaka volunteers to get more water. Tamahome thanks her, and she hops off to the brook. In the library, Keisuke finds out that a Kutou assassin and follows Miaka as she goes off alone...

Miaka reads the Suzaku Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho that Hotohori had lent her. She sees that one of her seishi is a monk, carrying a staff. Then, the Kutou assassin attacks her. She miraculously avoids the attack, but soon, she was cornered to a tree. Tamahome appears in time to save her, but, his skills wasn't enough to stop this one, as the assassin had power like that of electricity. But, as Miaka is about to be attacked again, hands appeared from the bamboo hat behind her, releasing ki and driving away the enemy. Miaka drops the bamboo hat, and out of it came the blue-haired guy from before. Tamahome protectively pulls Miaka aside. Miaka recognizes him, and he introduces himself as Chichiri.

Going back to the house, Chichiri says that Miaka should be more careful else more will suffer for her. A cry is heard that same instant. Tamahome hurries back to his house to find his family, and Nuriko, captured with ropes. Tamahome attacks the assassin, but he's caught as well. Miaka arrives and the assassin says that he will spare her friends if she surrenders. After thinking of the consequences, Miaka steps forward to the assassin's sword, to the disapproval of her seishi. As the assassin attacks her with arrows, Chichiri appears in front of her and forms a barrier with his staff. But, one got through, tearing the cloth near his knee, exposing the character "yon" (well), proving that he is a Suzaku Seishi. The others are free, and they beat up the assassin. Before they can get information from the assassin aside from the Seiryuu no Miko being found, he dies.

Miaka asks for Tamahome's forgiveness because his family are involved now because of her. The group then discuss what a Seiryuu no Miko is. Seiryuu is the god of the eastern country, Kutou. Like the Miko of Suzaku, that of Seiryuu also has 7 protectors, can summon the god, and comes from another world. Miaka commments that it's not easy to find just anybody floating from another world like she did. Then she realizes that Yui had been with her when they first came to the FY world, so there was the possibility that she was there. When Nuriko asked why Miaka is so pale, she says it's nothing, and that she had something to do. She hurriedly runs out of the house, going to Kutou to save Yui. She must go alone, not involving anybody else...

Tamahome is getting impatient while waiting for Miaka. Then, he remembers that, when he first met Miaka, she was with Yui, and that she was looking for her the next time they met. Thinking what Miaka had thought, Tamahome runs off to find her, leaving Nuriko with his family. Chichiri puts on his bamboo hat again, and disappears to follow Tamahome. Meanwhile, Miaka finds out that there is a short-cut to Kutou through in the woods. She goes in, and soon, she's lost. To make matters worse, a tiger spots her, and she is defenseless. She is about to call for Tamahome, but she didn't, thinking that she has already decided not to get him into any more trouble. Nevertheless, Tamahome still came in time to save her from the tiger. Seeing Tamahome's "oni", the tiger leaves quietly. Miaka tries to tell Tamahome not to bother about her anymore because he'll only be hurt. But, Tamahome is stubborn, and hugs Miaka, saying he'll protect her, anyway. Still bearing in mind that she'll not get him involved, Miaka decieves Tamahome into going back to his house (to get food for her), while Miaka secretly goes off to continue her journey. But she doesn't know that Chichiri is still there, following her.

Miaka had gotten on the back of a cart to make her travel faster. But, she had fallen asleep in it when the owner found her there. Fortunately, the owners, a newly-wed couple, were kind enough to give her food and let her stay for the night. Meanwhile, Tamahome realizes that Miaka just tricked him, and prepares to find her again, this time on a horse. But Nuriko stops him, reminding him of his family's welfare. Tamahome just tells him that it seems that he has become more and more attached to Miaka, and he just can't let her go like that. Tamahome's siblings cheer him on to follow their "sister".

The next morning, the couple that Miaka had met put her on yet another cart of their friends' to help her go to Kutou faster. Before leaving, Miaka asks the wife a favor...Meanwhile, Nuriko had gone back to Konan to report to Hotohori-sama. Hotohori is frustrated that he can't go and save Miaka, for he has to stay and do his duties as Emperor. Tamahome, on the other hand, is hurrying on a horse, wondering why Miaka is running away from him. As he passes by the house that Miaka had stayed in, the wife stops him, asking if he is Tamahome. He answers and she delivers her message: "I'm doing fine alone, so don't follow me." This makes Tamahome more determined to find her, regardless.

Miaka's party reaches the border. As expected, Miaka can't get through, even though she claimed to be the Seiryuu no Miko, since she had no proof. Chichiri helps her out on the sidelines, paralyzing the guards, using his magic. Miaka almost got through, but the a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Kutou general passes by and offers to take her to the palace. Miaka refuses, of course, her being priority is Yui. Then, they hear Tamahome on the other side of the border, demanding the guards to let him through. Miaka thought that she could call for Tama-kun's help to get out of the trouble she got herself into, but that would only involve him into even more trouble. And so, Miaka asks the general to take her to the castle right away. The general looks suspicious, but takes her, anyway. On the border, Chichiri pulls Tamahome away, explaining to him that they would get, not only their own lives, but Miaka's as well, into deeper jeopardy than it is now.

At the palace, Miaka faces the Kutou emperor. As they talk, the said emperor insults Hotohori. Miaka instanteneously forgets her position, and defends him. Regaining her senses, she pretends that she was talking about someone else^_^; Then, the general directs their attention to another visitor, who arrived three months ago...Yui! Overjoyed, Miaka runs to hug Yui, dropping the pouch she was carrying. While Yui seemed surprised that Miaka was so happy to see her (although she IS happy herself), and Miaka was too teary-eyed to see, the general picked up the Suzaku Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho that dropped out of Miaka's bag. Her identity revealed, Miaka braces for the worst...

Meanwhile, Tamahome is fighting with the palace guards. However, as he and the blue-eyed Kutou general named Nakago, faced each other, Tamahome is injured on his leg. With Chichiri's help, Tama-kun was able to go in the palace.

Miaka and Yui prepare to run away again, when another batch of guards almpost captured them. Thanks to Tamahome's sudden appearance, the two are saved. Then they remember that Nakago has the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho. Yui offers to get the scroll back, while the two wait in a room.

Yui asks Nakago for the Shi Jin Ten chi Sho. He seems hesitant, and asks Yui about being the Seiryuu no Miko. Yui refuses once more, but Nakago tells her that "that girl" (Miaka) may not be the kind that Yui-sama is thinking. He also reminds Yui to remember "what state she was in when I found you 3 months ago." This seemed to hit the spot, but, Yui is still wants to go with Miaka. Nakago tells Yui that, if she changes her mind, he'll be in the Seiryuu Shrine...

Meanwhile, Tamahome asks Miaka why she doesn't seem to accept the fact that Tamahome is her protector. Miaka replies that this matter is strictly between Yui and herself, and that Tamahome has nothing to do with it. Tamahome's reaction is pretty cool:

"If I'm was a nuisance, then so be it. But I love you, Miaka. Nothing will change that."

Miaka then tells Tamahome that she loves him, too, and that he is the reason she came back. Also, she doesn't want Tama-kun to be in danger just because of her. With that, the two kiss.

However, Yui, who had ran back eagerly with the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, saw and heard the two in the room, and is crushed. Yui pulls herself together and enters the room.

Later, as they were walking in the hallways of the castle, Tamahome notes that it's too quiet, and that it's strange that Nakago would just let them go like that. They arrive in front of a huge gate, and Yui asks Tamahome to wait outside. Miaka and Yui enter, and Miaka screams at the sight of a dragon. Tamahome quickly responds and tries to get in, but he discovers that it has a barrier, and he can't get in. Chichiri appears and explains that it appears to be the Seiryuu Shrine. Inside, Miaka's body suddenly goes numb, and she can hardly move. Yui then goes bitter and goes on about how Miaka had ruined her life, and that she had no idea what Yui had experienced three months ago because of her. She also tells her about her feelings for Tamahome, and that she will get him from Miaka. On Yui's que, Nakago appears and starts throwing Miaka around the room with his powers. Miaka nearly hits a wall with a deadly velocity, if Chichiri hadn't appeared to save her. He then goes to tear down the shrine's gate using his magic, revealing Tamahome. Seeing Miaka wounded, Tamahome is enraged and forcefully, but successfully, walks through the barrier. Again with his magic, Chichiri attacks Nakago and tells the other two to go in his hat. Seeing that Tamahome would willingly be filled with wounds for Miaka's sake, Yui had no strength to stop them. But she only says, "It'll be no fun if we kill them now..."

After a while, Miaka locks herself up in her room. Even Tamahome is unseccessful in trying to bring her out. Taiitsukun then goes inside the room using her magic and brings Miaka to float in Konan. There, they see Hotohori incredibly worried about Miaka that he won't eat. Even Nuriko, who had returned to report his comrades' situation earlier, cannot get him to eat. Taiitsukun tells Miaka that there is a way to settle things with Yui, but, for now, she should remember that she has a very important role in Konan: being the Suzaku no Miko. Going back to Taiitsukun's place, Miaka decides to try to go back to her normal self for the sake of Konan and her friends. Also, she decided that she must distance herself from Tamahome for Yui's sake. Miaka (acting) cheerfully leaves her room, ignoring Tamahome, and tells Chichiri that they will return to Konan.

Arriving in the Konan palace, Miaka is warmly welcomed, especially by Hotohori, who goes to hug her. Tamahome's silent reaction is very possessive, and can be seen only in his eyes. And Hotohori sees this. They proceed to look at each other with looks that could kill.

In her room, Miaka rummages through her bag to find something to eat. When Tamahome enters, he finds her nearly choking with all the food in her mouth. Seeing the bagful of strange things, Tamahome attempts to steal Miaka's bag. But, remembering his reason to go there, he suddenly turns serious. He asks Miaka if she was ignoring him on purpose. Miaka tries to act "professionally" and tells him that she is the Suzaku no Miko, and he is just her seishi. And that there was a line between them. Tamahome's reaction was not what Miaka had expected. He kisses her, and, as Miaka strugglingly pulls away, she falls on the bed. "Don't just say things out of the blue and expect me to believe it," Tamahome says, pinning Miaka on the bed. Miaka then tells Tamahome that it appears Yui had feeling for him. Hotohori then barges in the room, wearing a defensive face, apparently because of Miaka's scream earlier. Miaka tries to stop Hotohori, but Tamahome stops her instead. Pointing his sword only centimeters away from Tamahome's neck, Hotohori tells him to get away from Miaka. But Tamahome says with conviction that he is in love with Miaka, and that no one, not even Hotohori can take her away from him without a fight. Miaka is shocked by his words, and Hotohori calmly sheaths his sword. He says that it's impressive that Tamahome could say that to the master of the realm, and that, in that situation, they will no longer be Miaka's seishis, but just men vying for the girl they love. He then proceeds out of the room.

Apparently, Tamahome had been scared. VERY scared^_^(quite an actor, don't you think?) Miaka starts to scold him for being so reckless, but...

Tamahome: This character on my forehead. Do you know what it means?
Miaka: Demon?
Tamahome: Well, yeah, but it also means, that, from the second I was born, I was destined to live only for you, and to protect only you.

With that, Miaka cannot control her feelings and hugs Tamahome, even with Hotohori's feelings for her, and Yui's feelings for Tamahome. Tamahome then promises Miaka that he will never ever leave that silly girl^_^